1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of cellular (radio) telephones and, more specifically, to an interconnection device for connecting two cellular telephone components.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A mobile cellular telephone system consists of several components including an antenna, a transceiver and a peripheral device, such as a handset. The handset is connected to the transceiver and may be operated by a user in much the same way as a conventional telephone handset. Several types of information are exchanged between the transceiver and handset including audio signals, data, and commands. There are fundamental differences, however, between the information types. For example, the audio signals are typically analog while the data and commands are in digital form. In addition, the digital information may be transmitted at different speeds depending on the type of information or the source. Thus, the interconnection between the transceiver and the handset, or between other components of the system which must exchange similar types of information, must accommodate all of the information types and their respective characteristics.
One type of interconnection known in the prior art is a so-called "star" connection. The star connection includes a multi-wire cable which extends from the transceiver to a junction box. The junction box typically provides a connection point for a single peripheral device.
The major disadvantage of the star-type connection is that it is not "open ended". In other words, a transceiver which has a single star-type connection can only be connected to one peripheral device at a time, which severely limits a user's ability to configure a system to meet the requirements of a specific application.